I got stuck in traffic so I decided to reach the stadium for WCT20 felicitation ceremony on foot! Gaurav Kapur

For TV host-actor, Gaurav Kapur, being at the centre stage is all about having ‘good nerves’, but hosting the felicitation ceremony for the Indian Cricket team at the Wankhede stadium, for winning the WCT20, was “surreal” and still not sunk in yet!

“Oh man! It is still taking time to just sink in all yet!” Kapoor tells us over the phone, beaming with excitement.

On Thursday evening, close to three lakh people hit the streets of Mumbai last week to witness the Men in Blue participate in a victory parade after their T20 World Cup win, which was followed by a felicitation ceremony at the Wankhede Stadium. Gaurav Kapur, who hosted the ceremony, admits it felt “surreal”.

The host shares, “The atmosphere was incredible. I reached the Churchgate Station by car. But I had to get off and walk to the stadium. Even when I reached the gate, the crowd was so much that they (the security) had to somehow make way for me and get me in.”

Known for hosting a series on YouTube, where Kapur interviews cricketers, hosting a felicitation ceremony was a totally different and a unique experience. “I have seen all of them — Rohit (Sharma), Virat (Kohli) and Hardik (Pandya) — literally start their careers. To see the hard work they put in to win the trophy felt incredible. I remember I told Pandya during the ceremony that tough times don’t last, tough people do,” says Kapur.

Since then, Kapur has been praised on social media platforms for his interactions with the cricketers where he is praised for bring out the ‘human’side of the cricketers, who are other otherwise treated like demi gods in the country.

“It has always been about the stories for me. And even for cricketers, I mean they are superhuman, for achieving all that they have, but at the end of the day they are all vulnerable human beings, just like the rest of us. And my focus has always been to show that side of them to the world, so that the world understands what makes these players so special. I am in awe of what people have said about me and greatful for all the love I have received so far,” he concludes.